What is strategy work for you?

Strategy is about getting from one place to another. In the Children and Youth Administration in the City of Copenhagen, a major strategic change is underway, focusing on daycare centers and schools to be more inclusive towards children with special needs. The aim is to succeed better academically and socially with the children knowing that they are part of the general field. At the same time, there is an economic consideration at stake in balancing the economy, including the general and specialist areas, in the long run.

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“We work with a strategy of change, where we build the way as we go.”

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In the past, we've worked with a program management approach where we spent a lot of time talking about momentum versus what it means when an effort is green, yellow and red. Now we focus on being more dialogue-oriented locally and with the professional organizations, parent organizations, associations and others. The dialogue process has been based on a comprehensive analysis and knowledge base, including input from employees, research and parents.

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What is the biggest challenge in your strategy work?

A key challenge in strategy work is to find the right time to open up the space of influence in relation to ensuring inclusivity. In the BUF, in the strategy process around 'Diverse Children's Communities', we opened up early to involve widely before the political leadership level had been clarified and determined on direction and resources.

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“However, early involvement within an uncertain framework can create uncertainty about both content and process along the way. Uncertainty can create unrest, and in some situations make it harder for actors to bid in.”

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It can also be challenging for the policy level when a comprehensive strategy process has many sub-processes going back and forth. For example, we have had many questions and discussion sessions with committee politicians, so that we have been able to talk about the input of the many actors and the different voices. It takes patience and persistence to stay in the processes and not make too hasty decisions.

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How do you manage your strategy?

Policymakers have prioritised an economic framework to implement the new strategic direction. Now it is about realising the political visions in collaboration with day care and schools. The funds must go to local work. For example, resources for co-teaching, extra preparation time for teachers and extra staff in the training. Politically and strategically, some fence posts have been established, but the concrete decisions and implementation plans are made locally.

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“In the past, we have worked extensively in writing to ensure the implementation of new policy strategies. Now we have a freedom agenda and give day care and schools local freedom to put the changes into practice.”

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However, we need to keep track of data on how many children are segregated and how the children perform on different parameters. From the management side, we will of course help where the implementation process is difficult for local actors. For example, communication of change and dialogue processes with parents can be difficult for local leaders, which call for a different form of support from management.

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“We need to support that the change narrative makes sense in practice for parents, staff and managers. We must be careful not to create too much complexity, but to divide the process of change into several steps and simple timetables, where everyone does not have to deal with everything from the start.”

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Policy markers for diverse children's communities in schools and day care

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The Copenhagen politicians have decided on a series of markers indicating the direction of schools and day care in the future:

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1. Diversity is a strength. A diverse society with great cohesion is founded in day care, schools and leisure provision.
2. The best prevention is high professional quality in all our offers, with clear expectations and predictability for the children.
3. All children and young people, regardless of challenges and resources, have the right to be part of communities, and everyone has something to play with.
4. We need to address the challenges where the child already is and think in diverse communities rather than exclusion.
5. No one should experience being left alone when the going gets tough - this applies to children, parents and professionals alike.
6. That we see the lives of children and parents in context - learning, socially and work-related,

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In doing so, the politicians in the Committee on Children and Young People have agreed to follow the national ambition decided in the spring with the primary school settlement. The goal here is also to strengthen the general environment so that more children can stay in the community here.

Read more here

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